Ice Kingdom
by StaindRedGlass
Summary: STORY 26: A Navy scientist is found dead at a top secret research facility in Antarctica. The team is sent in to find the killer; they must do so within a tangled web of lies and deception. But can they escape when something goes horribly wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Here's the 26th story in my series. If you haven't read the other stories, then I advise you to not proceed until you do. This is a series. It runs in sequence. To understand certain things (especially where Jamie came from), it's best to just start at the beginning. This series is kind of like my very own NCIS season 4. As of this point, the series consists of: story 1 = A Link to the Past (comes in 3 parts)… story 2 = Wrong Place, Wrong Time… story 3 = Second Job… story 4 = Daughters… story 5 = A Personal Vendetta… story 6 = Bless the Children… story 7 = Eyes of the Condemned… story 8 = Disturbing Affection… story 9 = No Man Left Behind (story that introduces Chioke; aka Kid)… story 10 = Finger Swap… story 11 = Imperfect Heist… story 12 = The Color of Skin… story 13 = Death to the Jedi… story 14 = Brotherly Love… story 15 = For the Love of a Child… story 16 = Devil's Playground… story 17 = Forced Alliance… story 18 = Firing up the Screws… story 19 = Close to Home (story that introduces Julianna)… story 20 = Last Place on Earth… story 21 = The Two of Me… story 22 = Saw… story 23 = Rise of Apocalypse… story 24 = Injected… story 25 = Every Hero has a Story… story 26 = Ice Kingdom (current story). Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

***Wednesday***

***Chapter 1***

Tony awakes to the poking of a finger to his cheek. He keeps his eyes closed as it doesn't feel like it's time to wake up just yet. Besides the fact he's tired and doesn't feel like getting up right now.

The poking continues.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." Tony mumbled while remaining in bed with his eyes shut and snug under the blankets.

Seconds later, Tony feels the patter of four little feet walking over him. It doesn't bother him. He remains where he lies.

The four little feet lift from Tony's body and plant themselves back down on his upper chest. A gentle fuzz brushes up against his nose, back and forth, over and over again.

"I'm up, I'm up." Tony finally opens his eyes. Chioke quickly pulls his hand away from his pet's tail, as if it wasn't him. He looks at the skunk on his chest. "I'm so glad Mufasa doesn't have scent glands."

'Time wake up.' Chioke signed with his hands.

Tony's mouth opens as a gigantic yawn escapes.

"Five more minutes." He said tiredly with hardly being able to keep his eyes open.

The young boy watches as his father's eyes close. Chioke is perplexed. It has never been this difficult to get Tony out of bed before.

The time on the nearby clock increases by one minute; giving reason for the boy to rethink the approach he's currently angling.

Chioke climbs unto the bed, gently moves Mufasa to the side and sits on Tony's chest.

A chuckle escapes from Tony.

"Oh no…" He said as he opens his eyes in surprise. "Someone is wandering over here." Tony holds his hand up like a little puppet off to the side. A cheerful smile cracks across Chioke's face. "Could it truly be… I think it is…" The young boy folds his arms inward in order to protect himself as Tony's puppet hand gets closer and closer. "It's the Tickle Monster." His hand jets forward and starts tickling the boy.

Jamie awakes to a wiggling child being tickled by her husband right next to her. She moans angrily.

"Uh-oh…" Tony said. "We woke up mommy."

"You're both in trouble." Jamie said groggily as she sits up. There's a brief pause. The boys try to look innocent. "Good morning." She kisses Chioke on the head. Then she looks at Tony and smacks him on the back of the head. "You should know better."

"Chioke…" Tony tries to grab his son's attention. The boy looks at him. "Go take care of your pets while I get ready. Then we'll have some oatmeal for breakfast."

Chioke climbs off the bed and leaves the room in order to go take care of his pets. Tony and Jamie are proud at how responsible the boy is. The skunk jumps off the bed and follows the boy.

"You know, we're all alon…"

"Don't even think about it." Jamie said. "You're not getting any this morning."

Tony leans down toward Jamie's baby bump.

"Did you hear that?" Tony asked of his babies. "Mommy thinks daddy is a typical guy who only wants one thing. I just wanted to cuddle…"

"Pfft!" Jamie laughed.

"See, she doesn't believe me. But I know you two believe me. You two know daddy is a good guy."

"Oh please…" She rolls her eyes.

"Hey… do me a favor and kick her."

Jamie smacks Tony on the back of the head.

"Don't be a bad influence." She said.

"You're the one being violent, not me."

"They didn't see it."

"I should get ready since I have to make breakfast." Tony said. "Love you…" He kisses the left side of his wife's baby bump. "Love you…" He kisses the right side of her baby bump. Then he looks at his wife. "Eh…" He gets off the bed.

"You brat." Jamie throws her pillow at him. "You're definitely not getting any tonight."

"Like you can resist this." He rubs his butt in a sexy manner.

"Resist what? The two large melons you call an ass?"

"Oh, that's cold." Tony chuckled.

"Score one for me."

"I'll get you back."

Tony enters into the bathroom and turns the water on to the shower.

While lying in bed, Jamie wonders about the gender of the babies. She and Tony had discussed wanting to be surprised about it. But Jamie finds it difficult to resist knowing.

The drawer of Jamie's nightstand opens. She pulls out an envelope and looks at it.

Inside the envelope is the answer to the burning question of the gender of the babies. All it would take is opening the envelope. She wants so badly to know.

Even though it's hard to do, Jamie places the envelope back inside the nightstand and closes the draw.

An hour passes. Everyone is at work.

Gibbs enters into MTAC where the Director is currently waiting for him.

"He's here." Director Shepard stated. "Reestablish the connection."

A video feed quickly appears on the big screen.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I've been waiting for you." The man said. "My name is Colonel Gary Briggs."

"What can I do for you, Colonel?" Gibbs asked.

"One of my personnel was murdered yesterday. I need to know who in my facility is the one who did it and why." The Colonel replied. "I deal with very sensitive material and need to know if what I'm dealing with is a spy."

The conversation between Gibbs and the Colonel continues for a couple minutes. The Colonel tells Gibbs all the information he's allowed to know, which isn't very much.

Gibbs approaches the phone and calls down to the bullpen. A minute later, the team enters into MTAC for a private conversation about their assignment. They sit down.

"Listen up. We have a new assignment." Gibbs announced. "There's been a murder. You all need to pack your bags. We leave in the morning."

"Even me?" McGee wondered.

"You're ready, McGee." Gibbs said in reference to feeling McGee is ready to go back into the field after his long shoulder recovery.

"I hope the assignment is in Puerto Rico, Jamaica or some nice warm Caribbean…"

"Pack for the cold weather."

"Cold weather?! Where are we being sent… Antarctica?" Tony laughed.

"Yes, we are." Gibbs responded.

"You're kidding, right."

"Antarctica?" Ziva asked in surprise.

"What's the assignment… assassinate a penguin? For that job all we need to do is send Ziva." Tony said. "Hell, even McGee can assassinate a penguin with hardly any problem."

"Hey!" McGee protested the bare vote of confidence from Tony.

"I do not have the proper clothing for…" Ziva begins to say.

"We don't all have to go, do we?" Tony wondered. "I could stay here to…"

"The assignment is not up for debate. You're all going." Gibbs stated firmly. "We'll be gone for two weeks tops, including travel time. If you don't have the proper clothing for temperatures in the negative degrees, then go to the store and…"

Ziva, Tony and McGee all stand up and run to the door. They leave MTAC in haste. Gibbs calmly exits from MTAC, walks down to the bullpen and sits down at his desk. He sips his coffee in peace and quiet while his team is running off to the store.


	2. Chapter 2

***Thursday***

***Chapter 2***

Three bags drop hard on the floor next to Tony's desk. Ziva looks up from behind her computer in wonderment of what he packed to have so many bags.

"There has to be an easier way to carry all this." Tony huffed while trying to catch his breath.

"What could you possibly be bringing that warrants needing three bags?" Ziva wondered.

"Did you not hear? We're going to Antarctica. The coldest place on the planet."

"I only have one bag." McGee stated.

"I have one too." Ziva said.

"Well I don't do well in the extreme cold." Tony defended himself. "You two are going to freeze your asses off. Then you're going to come crying to me that you're cold and need extra layers. And I'll charge you for renting my extra clothes."

"I would not be caught dead wearing your clothes, Tony." Ziva stated. "First of all, who knows where your clothes have been. And second… you have no fashion sense."

"Like you have fashion sense, Ms. I'm currently wearing an unfashionable stripped sweater."

"There is nothing wrong with my sweater." Ziva defended her sweater. "McGee, you like this sweater, right?"

"Uh…" McGee hesitated. "I just remembered I really need to use the head." He gets up and runs away.

"I do not understand how anyone can forget to use the bathroom. It is not like a person needs to think about it. You can feel when it is coming." Ziva said. Tony chuckles slightly. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You found something to be funny."

"I was just wondering if…"

"Knock it off, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he passes by the bullpen in the direction of the back stairs.

"So when are we leaving?" Abby asked as she enters into the bullpen all bundled up in heavy clothing.

"Abby…" Tony is perplexed about her strange outfit. "What in the world are you wearing? You look like a multi-colored lollipop."

"These are my cold weather clothes for when I climbed Mt. Everest. Against snow, it would be stupid to wear something white in case of an emergency."

"There's no possible way to miss you on a mountain of snow with that outfit." Tony stated.

"I did not know you climbed Mt. Everest." Ziva said.

"I didn't. Well, I did. But I didn't. Even though I did."

"I think she's succumbing to heat delirium." Tony commented.

"What do you mean, Abby?" Ziva asked.

"I climbed five hundred feet before I realized the mountain I was on was not Mt. Everest."

"So you did not climb Mt. Everest."

"No, I did." Abby said. "After I climbed five hundred feet of the wrong mountain, I went over to the right mountain. I climbed five hundred feet before…"

"Before realizing you were once again on the wrong mountain." Tony joked.

"I guess I told you this story before." Abby doesn't remember.

"No, you didn't." He said. "How could you have been on the wrong mountain again?"

"The second mountain I was on was the mountain right next to Mt. Everest. I just took the wrong path. It can happen to anybody." Abby answered. "So I climbed back down, went to the next mountain, which finally was the correct mountain and started climbing. I climbed twenty-five feet."

"You only climbed twenty-five feet of Mt. Everest." Tony acknowledged.

"I was exhausted after climbing one thousand feet between two wrong mountains."

"Twenty-five feet hardly qualifies as climbing Mt. Everest." He said.

"It's more feet climbed than what you've climbed of Mt. Everest." Abby defended her twenty-five foot climb of Mt. Everest.

"She has got a point there." Ziva agreed.

"Uh, Abby?" McGee wondered as he enters into the bullpen. She turns to him. "That's uh… aren't you hot?"

"Very. But I'm trying to get used to wearing this again for the trip."

"I didn't know you're going." McGee said.

"It'll be a little hard to send evidence to me from so far away." Abby stated. "Besides, I always wanted a penguin." She said cheerfully at the thought of having a pet penguin.

"We're not going there to catch penguins, Abby." Tony said.

"Do you know how many penguins die each year from the jaws of seals?" Abby asked. "I don't. But I know it's a lot. At least I think it's a lot. I'm pretty sure it is a lot. Seals are vicious penguin-eating machines. I'm going to do my part and save a penguin." She added. "Besides, penguins are super cute. I really really really want one."

While Abby talks about penguins and how she'll take care of one, Gibbs and Director Shepard exit from the Director's office.

"Ms. Scuito…" Director Shepard tries to get her attention. She looks to her. "Is there some reason you're wearing…" She cannot find the words to describe such an odd outfit. "…this."

"It's for the trip." Abby stated cheerfully.

"You're not going, Abs." Director Shepard stated.

"How can I not be going? There's going to be no way to send physical evidence to me in order to be processed. So I need to be down there in order to process evidence."

"It's a security issue."

"My security clearance is higher than the entire team put together. And they're all going."

"Maybe we should discuss this in private."

"No, I don't want to discuss this in private. You can tell me right here. I want to know why I'm not going."

"The reason you're not going is because you're not allowed."

"Not allowed?! That makes no sense. Why would I not be allowed?"

"Because the Colonel thinks you're a security risk. He doesn't want you there." Director Shepard said. "I'm sorry, Abs." She then walks away.

"I'm not going, Gibbs…" Abby tries to wrap her arms around him for comfort but is hardly able to bend the arms of her outfit. He wraps one arm around her. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Tony and McGee look at each other because Abby said that with Gibbs not saying a word. They shake their heads.

A minute passes.

Gibbs approaches Tony's desk, leans down and grabs two of the three bags.

"Oh, you're going to help me carry those…" Tony said.

"Yeah…" Gibbs tosses them over the partition of the bullpen. "Now you have one like the rest of us. It'll be easier to carry."

"Thank you, Boss." Tony said.

"Time to go." Gibbs stated. He grabs his bag and walks in the direction of the elevator.

The others follow. Abby tugs Tony's arm. He turns to her.

"Get me a penguin." Abby said.

"You would make a fine addition to Willy Wanka's lollipop land."

"I want a penguin, Tony. Get me a penguin." She demanded. "Don't come back without one."

"Today DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked from inside the elevator.

"Coming!"

Tony runs to the elevator and enters inside. Abby stands in front while the doors close.

"Don't forget my penguin." She said.

The doors finally close.

"She really wants a penguin." Ziva stated. "You are screwed, Tony."

"I should really take this thing off." Abby muttered to herself due to feeling very hot. She then notices everybody in the squad room looking at her. "What are you all looking at? This is normal for me."

Abby walks toward the back elevator so she can go down to her lab.


	3. Chapter 3

***Tuesday***

***Chapter 3***

Tony awakes in his cabin to the ride becoming rocking and a sound he's never heard before. The sound concerns him very much. So he quickly gets dressed in a coupe layers and runs out the door.

On the deck is Gibbs looking out from the starboard side of the ship while drinking a coffee from a thermos. The calmness of Gibbs eases the feeling of concern in Tony.

"Did the noise wake you up too?" Tony asked as he approaches.

"Been awake." Gibbs answered. "We're currently pushing through the Ross Ice Shelf."

"Oh…" Tony looks over the side where the light is shinning, lighting up the darkness. He sees the ice breaking apart as the ship slices its way through. "It sounds different from the inside. Sounded like the haul was being breached by rocks." There's a brief silence between them. "It's freezing out here." He shivers from the cold and sniffles from a runny nose.

Gibbs hands Tony the thermos.

"Thanks." Tony said. He takes a couple sips of the hot coffee.

"We'll be at our destination in a couple hours." Gibbs stated. "You should try to get some rest."

"Yeah, screw this. It's too cold out here for me anyway." Tony said. He hands the thermos back. "I'm going back to my semi-warm bed." He walks away. "Of all the places to be sent for an investigation…" Tony begins talking softly to himself. "This scientist couldn't be murdered in the Caribbean. Or any warm place for that matter. No, he just had to be murdered in Antarctica." He continued. "This sucks. I hate this case. I'm cold… have a runny nose… I'm shivering … my teeth are going to crack from chattering together so much…"

"And you're talking to yourself." Gibbs added from afar.

"Yes! And I'm talking to myself." Tony said. "I'm requesting a vacation after this case." He enters into the haul and makes his way back to his cabin.

Tony awakes a couple hours later when it's light out and the ship has stopped.

"Grab your bag." Gibbs said as he opens the door.

The team meets up on the deck where the crew is preparing a way to let the team off the ship. In the distance is a camp with a couple small buildings.

"Don't tell me we're walking the rest of the way." Tony said.

"I'm afraid this is as far as we go." The ship's Captain stated. "Hope you brought your ice skates."

"Seriously?" McGee wondered in a slight concern because his skating skills are less than desirable.

"I cannot do it. I have never been ice skating before." Ziva stated.

"Ha!" The Captain laughed. "You got some gullible people working for you, Agent Gibbs."

"Uh-huh." Gibbs agreed.

"You're walking." The Captain stated. "It should take you about two hours to reach the camp."

One by one, the team is let off the ship onto the ice.

"Watch out for the leopard seals!" The Captain yelled to the team from the bow of the ship. "They've become desperate due to a lack of food in this area. So be careful."

"I really hope he's kidding." Tony said with his teeth chattering like crazy.

"He's not." Their guide said. "Three of our dogs were killed by leopard seals the other week. That's why we no longer allow the dogs on the ice." He added. "Maurice, the man you'll meet at the camp, was attacked by a leopard seal just last week."

"This just keeps getting better and better." Tony commented.

"Penguins have been slowly moving out of this area due to their food source decreasing." The guide stated. "Penguins eat fish. Seals eat penguins. With the penguin population decreasing..."

"That means the seals food source is decreasing." McGee said.

"The seals should follow the penguins but half of them seem to refuse to move from the area." The guide stated. "So they'll attack out of desperation."

As the team walks, a large leopard seal goes unnoticed swimming underneath them beneath the ice. The seal is vigilant in sticking close while trying to find a patch of thin enough ice to break through.

"I'm freezing…" Tony stated with a chattering of his teeth.

"Maybe next time you should not buy something so stylish." Ziva said. "You should have bought something more suitable for the climate." She continued. "I do not understand why you bought what you are wearing. Who are you trying to impress? Penguins?" She wondered. "I doubt penguins care what you are wearing."

"You know what…" Tony begins to say. "You're not good company." He said. "I'm going to go hang out with McGee."

Tony walks a bit faster since McGee is ahead of them; leaving Ziva alone in the back. With Tony leaving her, she hears a strange sound. Ziva stops and looks around. All she sees is ice, snow and the people walking in front of her. She looks down at the ice. Nothing is there.

The leopard seal swims directly underneath Ziva a couple seconds after her continuing to walk.

With being three quarters of the way to their destination, the large seal becomes impatient. The seal swims deep. It quickly turns and swoops upward as fast as it can. Seconds before hitting the ice, the seal exhibits one final powerful thrust.

The ice shakes beneath Ziva, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ice. She notices a crack in the ice. Finally, she notices an object closing in underneath her. At first, she cannot determine what it is. Then her eyes widen as it closes in. The seal pounds into the ice a second time.

Ziva stands and slips in her panic. She falls to the ice.

"Gibbs!" She yelled.

The others turn around. At that very moment, the ice around Ziva breaks. Their eyes widen as a large block of ice slants upward into the air. Ziva holds onto the edge. She holds on for her life as the weight of the leopard seal is pushing down on the other side.

"Help!" She shouted.

Each of the team members draws their sidearm as quickly as possible. Gibbs points his gun and starts running in the direction of Ziva. Tony points his gun, starts running, slips on the ice and falls down. McGee points his gun and quickly feels a sharp pain in his shoulder; forcing him to withdraw.

"Ziva, jump!" Gibbs yelled.

The seal finally slips down into the cold water. The block of ice quickly comes down. Before hitting the water, Ziva pushes herself off the block of ice. She lands safely on the solid ice and slides a couple feet.

The seal thrusts itself up onto the ice close to where Ziva is lying.

"Ahh!" Ziva cried. She tries her best to crawl away as the seal advances forward.

Gibbs and Tony open fire upon the seal. Hit after hit seem to have hardly any effect against large, heavy seal advancing on Ziva.

The seal snarls at her. It snaps at her leg. Ziva dodges the attack and kicks the seal in the head; the heavy beast doesn't even flinch.

A single shot fires from behind the NCIS team. A sound of pain escapes from the seal as it drops to the ice and dies.

"Told you they're desperate!" The guide exclaimed while holding a high-powered rifle in his hand; a weapon no one knew he had. "Lets keep moving."

As Gibbs and Tony help Ziva up, she cannot help but stare at the dead seal several feet away. Her heart's racing like never before. Ziva's never been so scared in her entire life.

"Are you alright?" Tony asked in concern.

"I am fine." Ziva said as she knocks both of their hands away from her. She walks away from them and the dead seal. Gibbs can tell the attack had much more of an affect on her than she's letting on.

"I'm sorry." McGee apologized to Ziva as she approaches.

"It is okay, McGee." Ziva chuckled. "I am fine." She continues walking.

Gibbs and Tony finally catch up to McGee.

"Boss, I'm…" McGee begins to say.

"Apologizing is a sign of weakness." Gibbs interrupted him.

Tony runs ahead in order to see how Ziva is doing and to keep her company on the rest of the walk. Gibbs and McGee are left in the back.

"I was useless back there." McGee said. "My shoulder hurt. There was no way I could keep my sig steady." He continued. "I can't be depended on for backup."

"Don't sell yourself short, Tim." Gibbs said. "I pushed you to come when I knew you're the only person who can determine when you're ready." He added. "When we return to Washington, you can take as much time as you feel you need."

They finally reach the camp.

"Welcome to the deep South!" Maurice welcomed them. "I trust your ride on the Sword of the Sea was pleasant enough."

"Oh yeah, it was a bumpy good time." Tony commented with his teeth chattering.

"I have the dogs waiting out back for you." Maurice stated. "It's a shame you're not staying long. The seals migrate across the ice close to dusk. It's truly a magnificent sight."

"I think they had enough seal action for one day." The guide stated.

"If you have any questions before you leave, I'll be happy to answer them." Maurice said.

"What's the temperature right now?" Tony wondered.

"It's only twenty-five below." Maurice answered.

"Only?!" Tony said in surprise.

"It could be worse." Maurice said. "It could be twenty-six below." He and the guide both laugh. "Your true destination lies a day's trip away, along the Transantarctic Mountains. This camp is just a front."

They round the corner of the main building. In the back are the sled dogs, ready to go.

"Sled dogs!" McGee exclaimed in excitement. "I always wanted to ride on sleds." He approaches one of the dogs. The dog exhibits friendliness toward him. "You're a good boy, aren't you." He pets the dog.

"They're just dogs." Tony said as he approaches one of the dogs in order to pet it. The dog growls at him. He pulls back. The others chuckle because McGee, Gibbs and Ziva are all petting the dogs with no problem. "I'm a very likable person. Dogs love me. This dog is just unfriendly."

"Biscuit is the friendliest dog here." The guide defended his dog.

Tony leans down close to Biscuit.

"With a name like Biscuit, it's no wonder you're grumpy." Tony said. The dog growls at him again. He leans up and looks to the other sled. "I call shotgun on that sled!" He points to the sled Biscuit is not leading.

"We should get going." The guide said. "We have a lot of ground to cover."

The bags are secured onto the sleds. As are the team members. With two sleds, the guide and another man each get onto the back of one. The guide gives the word to start. Biscuit leads her team forward. The other man does the same.


	4. Chapter 4

***Wednesday***

***Chapter 4***

The sled dogs run up a slight incline near the base of the Transantarctic Mountains. Upon approach, the sleds stop. The team quickly gets off as the wind is picking up. They run to the door. It opens. They enter inside. The door closes behind them.

"I'm Lieutenant Guile Anderson." A man introduced himself. "I'm assigned to your team to assist in your investigation."

"Don't you mean spy on our investigation?" Tony wondered. "So where are the aliens?" He starts looking around.

"There are no aliens here." Lieutenant Anderson stated.

"You're in a top secret Naval facility in Antarctica." Tony said. "There are definitely aliens around here somewhere." He continued. "Hopefully this doesn't end up like Aliens vs Predator. You don't have a super secret advanced alien pyramid in the basement, do you?"

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head.

"Knock it off, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

"I'll show you to your quarters." Lieutenant Anderson said. "This way." He leads them down the corridor.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to get to work right-a-way." Gibbs said. "If you could show us to the crime scene..."

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"What do you mean that's not possible?" Tony asked in confusion. "And you seriously need to turn the heat up in here. Just a suggestion."

"Your bags are not permitted in the lower levels. They are to be dropped off at your quarters before proceeding down to the crime scene." Lieutenant Anderson replied. "As for the temperature… The climate of this facility is controlled to a desirable level."

"Right, the aliens." Tony chuckled slightly. "Guess they're not partial to the heat."

"Is he going to go on about aliens for the duration of the time you're here?"

"Yes." Gibbs, Ziva and McGee all said at the same time.

"Ugh…" Lieutenant Anderson sighed in annoyance. "Follow me."

They continue down the corridor. Turn after turn, the team is led deeper into the facility. Each of the personnel they see along the way seems to look at them strangely. Doors close. People scatter without trying to raise suspicion. Others begin speaking in foreign languages that they know none of the NCIS team can understand. It's as if every single one of them has something to hide.

"Everyone seems to be acting weird here." Tony observed.

"They seem to be acting strangely, yes." Ziva acknowledged the observation.

"We don't ever have visitors." Lieutenant Anderson said. "You have to understand this facility doesn't exist. What we do here doesn't exist. We don't exist." He added. "You're seen as a threat that may jeopardize the future of our projects."

"What are your projects?" Tony wondered.

"That's classified information. You know that." Lieutenant Anderson stated. "You will be given certain information as it pertains, if it pertains to the case. Otherwise it's classified and none of your business."

"Aliens…" Tony said. "I bet there's an alien behind this door."

"I wouldn't open that door if I were you."

"Must be the Autopsy lab."

Tony opens the door.

"Ah!" A woman screams. She covers herself. "Get out of here!"

"Sorry…" Tony apologized. He closes the door.

"You just met Lieutenant…" Lieutenant Anderson begins to say but stops.

"Lieutenant who…?" Tony wondered why he stopped.

"Lieutenant Scully."

"Ha!" Tony laughed. "Does Mulder work here too?"

Lieutenant Anderson approaches Tony and stands in his face.

"You're on the verge of being considered a security risk. Which means I have the authority of detaining you until your departure." Lieutenant Anderson stated firmly. "I don't like you. I'll detain you in the coldest room without a coat. Now give me an excuse."

"I'll shut up."

"Good."

They finally reach the living quarters they'll be staying in. The room is rather small; has two beds, a desk with a secured laptop and a bathroom.

"I have a question…" Ziva begins to say. "Where are my quarters?"

"You're in it." Lieutenant Anderson replied.

"This is not acceptable." Ziva stated. "I cannot share a room or a bed…"

"This is all there is. You don't have to like it."

The team sets their belonging down; all except their investigative equipment which they need for the crime scene. They all leave the room.

Two Marines are standing nearby in the corridor on route to the elevator. As the team passes, Lieutenant Anderson makes a slight motion of his head. The two Marines comply with the indication of what they know the Lieutenant wants them to do.

The Marines enter into the living quarters of the NCIS team and start searching through their bags.

On the level below, the team exits from the elevator. They notice every single door on the level is closed with sophisticated security measures.

"Whoa, look at these security measures." Tony said in shock. "It's like something from a James Bond movie."

"Security keypad, card swipe, fingerprint identification, voice recognition and retinal scan." McGee stated in astonishment as he examines one of the devices. "Talk about high-tech. You guys don't take any chances with security."

"Either that or they're extremely paranoid for some reason which I won't mention but I will think it." Tony commented.

"Each room has its own security level." Lieutenant Anderson stated. "You all have level one clearance." He added. "The crime scene is this way." He motions for them to follow.

They walk down the corridor to the research lab. The team enters into the lab. A quick glance around the room shows an incomplete crime scene.

"What happened to the crime scene?" McGee asked.

"This lab is a level four clearance. There are things you're not allowed to see. They have been removed." Lieutenant Anderson answered. "No pictures without my permission." He grabs Ziva's camera. "No fingerprints." He grabs McGee's fingerprint kit. "Nothing leaves this room without my authorization, including any possible samples. This excludes blood samples which you're not allowed to take, period."

"A crime scene we can barely process…" Tony begins to say. "This is going to be a snap."

"When conducting interviews of our personnel later on, you are not to ask any questions that pertain to our projects." Lieutenant Anderson added. "Nor are the interviews allowed to be private. I will be present at every interview."

"You're really tying our hands with this." Gibbs stated.

"It is going to be impossible to find the murderer with all these restrictions holding us back." Ziva commented.

"Find a way." Lieutenant Anderson said.

The team advances further into the lab and starts looking around. They begin to process the incomplete crime scene while the Lieutenant keeps a close eye on their every movement.

"I would like to take a picture of this bloody footprint." Ziva stated looking for permission. The Lieutenant approaches with the camera in hand. He looks at the footprint on the floor.

"The footprint is none of your concern." Lieutenant Anderson stated firmly.

"It may be the killer's footprint. And if it is not, than we need to take an elimination print…"

The Lieutenant stomps his foot on the bloody footprint and swishes it around.

"There, it's been eliminated." Lieutenant Anderson said.

"I have a drop of blood over here that doesn't seem to fit…" Tony begins to say as he's examining a spatter pattern.

"Don't move!" Lieutenant Anderson barked. He approaches.

"Let me guess, the blood is none of my concern." Tony said.

The Lieutenant steps in a little pool of blood nearby and swishes it into the questionable drop of blood in order to contaminate it. Gibbs grabs him and pushes him against the wall and holds him there.

"We're trying to work an investigation here and you keep trying to prevent us from doing so!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"The bloody footprint occurred when my people were removing items from this room. So the footprint is irrelevant to your investigation. As for the drop of blood… No DNA samples. I contaminated the drop because I don't trust your guy to not try to sneak a sample out of the room." Lieutenant Anderson defended his actions.

Gibbs hears the sound of two guns cock behind him. He knows the weapons are pointing at him.

"It's alright boys." Lieutenant Anderson said. "Agent Gibbs was just letting go."

Gibbs lets go of the Lieutenant. The two Marines lower their weapons.

"I'd advise you to work under the conditions set before you. Do so as best you can." Lieutenant Anderson said. "And don't ever touch me again."

The team continues to process the crime scene and gather what little evidence they're allowed to. After processing what they could, the Lieutenant escorts them up to the main floor. He shows them a lab they can use for processing the evidence they were authorized to collect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the delay in getting an update posted. Work has been exhausting lately. Than of course add the fact that I've been going through all my stuff and packing because I'm moving this month. I'll try to get another update posted as soon as I can. Just bear with me on the whole moving thing.

* * *

***Chapter 5***

A video feed is established in the lab the NCIS team is authorized to use for processing evidence for their investigation. The first thing Ducky sees on the monitor is the deceased scientist lying on the table near Gibbs.

"The connection is remarkably clear." Ducky stated in astonishment at how well the video feed looks. "It reminds me of an autopsy I helped a Persian doctor conduct on a Marine in Pakistan. The conditions were less than desirable. And the video feed was choppy as best…"

"Ducky…" Gibbs said to get things moving along.

"Walk me around the victim." Ducky said. "Start at the head and work your way down."

Gibbs grabs the camera. The camera starts at the head and works its way down, slowly.

"Multiple lacerations, contusions, abrasions, broken bones…" Ducky begins to say. "This man succumbed to a violent end. No man could've survived such brutality." He said. "It reminds me of an unidentifiable victim who came across my table back in…"

"Ducky…"

"Take the scalpel. What I want you to do is…"

"The bossman is going to perform the autopsy…?" Tony said as he approaches. "I can save everyone a load of time. I know who did it. I know who killed this man…"

"Not now, DiNozzo." Gibbs grabs Tony's face and gently pushes him away because he knows what he's going to say.

Tony takes the hint and decides to rejoin the others processing evidence on the other side of the room.

"It was an alien!" He exclaimed as he walks away. Seconds later, he approaches where Ziva and McGee are processing the evidence.

"Did you get my penguin, Tony?" Abby asked at seeing him enter into view of the video feed from the Forensics Lab.

"Uh…" Tony hesitated. "I'm working on it."

"Don't come back without my penguin." She gives him a stern look.

"Don't listen to her, Babe." Jamie said since she's in the Forensics Lab with Abby.

"He owes me a penguin."

"Pfft, on what grounds does he owe you anything?"

"I'm severely overworked and under paid for this job." Abby responded. "I deserve a penguin."

"You deserve a swift kick in the ass, is what you deserve." Jamie commented.

"We both know you can't take me."

"Oh yes I can!"

Abby pokes Jamie. Jamie pokes Abby back. Abby pokes Jamie again. Jamie grabs Abby's arm. Abby begins to defend herself. The two of them wrestle each other to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Tony said in excitement. "McGee, get that camera to point down right now!"

"I can't get their camera to point down from here." McGee stated.

"I can't believe I'm missing this." Tony said in disappointment. "It's probably so hot."

Both Abby and Jamie look up from the floor and give the camera a stern look.

"I'm going to go find a penguin now." Tony said. He moves to the side, out of the view of the camera.

As the team is working with the help of their counterparts back in Washington, D.C., the vent of a lab two floors down is taken off. A man carefully places a creature into the ventilation shaft. Then he closes the vent and walks away.

The creature moves through the ventilation system in the direction of a shaft that has a gradual incline upward. It advances further and further on route to its destination; up one level, then up another.

The NCIS team finally enters into the living quarters. They see their belongings all tossed out unto one of the beds and floor below.

"They obviously didn't make an effort to hide the fact they searched our belongings." Tony stated as he enters further into the room. He picks something up from the floor near the bed. "I never took you for one to wear purple panties, Ziva." He holds it up and grins.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed with a slight hint of disgust and anger. She grabs her panties from his hand.

"Do you have a matching bra too?"

"Knock it off, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he smacks Tony on the back of the head.

The team begins to pick up their belongings and try to determine if anything is missing.

A faint noise escapes from the vent near McGee is standing close to.

"Shh…" He shushed them. "I think I hear something. It's coming from the vent."

"It's an alien…" Tony said.

"You need to stop with the aliens." Ziva said in annoyance.

"Like nobody else is thinking it?!"

"I'm not." McGee said.

"Neither am I." Ziva said.

"Don't even look at me." Gibbs said. "I think you're nuts."

The noise stops a couple seconds later because the creature has reached its destination. It waits directly behind the vent. It squawks.

Ziva takes her trusty pocket knife and use it to unscrew the screws to the vent.

"There's your alien, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

"It could've been an alien." Tony stated.

"Why is a penguin in the vent?" McGee wondered.

"Looks like there is a note around its neck." Ziva stated.

Tony steps closer to the vent. He reaches to the small penguin inside the vent and takes the note. He opens it.

"Beware the ides of March." Tony read the note. "You got to be kidding me. We just jumped into Shakespeare."

"What does it mean?" Ziva asked.

"It means; beware the ides of March." Tony replied jokingly. "In Shakespeare it's a warning. I don't know the significance for our situation, other than it also being a warning. A warning for what, I don't know." Tony looks to the penguin. "Whoever put you in the vent knows it isn't March, right?"

The small penguin's mission of delivering the note is accomplished. He squawks and turns inside the vent in order to go back the way he came.

"You're letting Abby's penguin get away." Ziva commented.

"Oh shit!" Tony bolts to the vent, reaches his arm inside and grabs the penguin. "Haha! Got you." The penguin squawks wildly. "Oooww!" He retracts his arm; the penguin maneuvers away as fast as he can. "Damn thing bit me." Tony rubs his hand. He sticks his head into the vent. "You stinkin little mischievous penguin. You better run back to Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer before I crawl down this vent and found you. You'll wish you stayed in Madagascar!"

Tony pulls his head out of the vent to find the others looking at him shaking their heads.

"I could've gone with a Happy Feet, March of the Penguins or even a Batman reference instead." He grins.

"I need to go talk to the Colonel." Gibbs walks away and leaves the living quarters.

"So in the movie Madagascar, this lion named Alex, played by Ben Stiller, was…" Tony begins telling Ziva and McGee about the movie.

Gibbs walks in the direction of the Colonel's office while the others listen to Tony and clean up the mess in their living quarters. Watchful eyes keep track of his every move; Gibbs can tell someone is following him.


End file.
